On this episode of The Brief, Thomas Cliff takes a look at the reality of life under government surveillance for Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province.

As part of its ‘strike hard’ campaign in its northwestern province of Xinjiang, the Chinese state claims to be fighting against “Three Evil Forces” – terrorism, separatism, and religious fundamentalism. Under this banner the government has reportedly forced almost one million Uighur and minority Muslims into internment camps and re-education centers. In this episode of The Brief, Edwina Landale talks to Thomas Cliff about the human and cultural impact of mass surveillance in Xinjiang, what the Communist Party finds so threatening about the Uighur minority, and the future of cultural diversity under President Xi Jinping. Listen here: https://simplecast.com/s/faa48696

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Thomas Cliff is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Culture, History and Language at the ANU. He has conducted long-term fieldwork in Xinjiang, covering over two decades, and is one of the world’s leading experts on Xinjiang.

Edwina Landale is the presenter of The Brief. She is a student of Politics, Philosophy, and Economics at the ANU.